PROCEDURE FOR REINSTATING FIRE RESISTANCE TO PENETRATIONS

Fire / Smoke Barriers

Fire-resisting walls, floors and ceilings are installed to slow or stop the spread of fire through buildings fire or smoke compartments or between separate tenancies thereby saving lives and property. They are included in a building to satisfy the Building Code of Australia, and are inspected on a regular basis for penetrations which could reduce their effectiveness/ fire resistance level.

For these reasons all penetrations must be treated and filled appropriately.

Some examples of fire resisting walls and floors may be:

• Internal or external brick or block walls
• Fire-rated plasterboard coloured pink on one side in some cases
• Suspended concrete slabs

 

Doors fitted to fire-resistant walls are always heavy, solid-core fire doors or smoke doors fitted with rubber seals and may help with identification of the barrier.

 

An example of a Smoke Walls may be:

• Light blue coloured plasterboard
• Standard grade plasterboard

 

Doors fitted to smoke walls should be self closing with a rubber seal, and signed as smoke doors.

 

Procedures

 

Product Application

 

Ensure the area to be sealed and the cables are as clean as possible.

Always install the firestop as per the manufacturer’s instructions, being sure to completely encase the cables or cable tray where it passes through the wall.

 

 

Intumescent	Intumescent	Intumescent
Pillow Installation	Putty Installation	Sealant Installation
15% Max percentage of cable area for hole	22% Max percentage of cable area for hole	50% Max percentage of cable area for hole

 

 

Where possible the cable should be supported to reduce the risk of the firestop being pulled out of the wall. This is more important in floor penetrations.